Rocking device.



No. 658,433. Patented Sept. 25, I900.

K. GEIER.

ROCKING DEVICE (Application filed Apr. 2, 1900 (No Model.)

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lNrrgEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL GEIER, OF PULKAU, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

ROCKING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,433, datedSeptember 25, 1900.

Application filed April 2, 1900. Serial No. 11,193. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL GEIER, a citizen of Austria-Hungary, residingat Pulkau, in the Province of Lower Austria, Empire of Austria-Hi1ngary, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsinRockingDevioes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The presentinvention relates to a rocking device in which the rockingmovement set up by the person actuating the rocker becomes translatedinto an intermittent forward progression of the entire structure. Asuitable steering device may be provided for controlling the directionof travel.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two examples of rocking-horses madeaccording to the present invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the one modification. Fig. 2 is a side viewof the second modification; Fig. 3, a plan View, and Fig. 4 a detail.

The seat for the reception of a person or persons, which may be fittedout as an ordinary seat, an animal-figure, basket, vehicle, or smallboat, &c., is supported and securely fastened by rivets, for example, onan arched leaf-spring composed of one or more arched laminated flatsprings b, the ends of which are curved in the reverse direction to themiddle part and secured to the cross-pieces or axles c c at each end ofalight-frame d, mounted on wheels, so that the seat, figure, 850., maybe rocked, causing the arms or ends of the said spring to becomealternately distorted. Thus when rocking toward the rear the center ofgravity falls alternately on the rear or front portion of theconstruction, producing components of power in the forward and backwarddirection and causing an alternate forward and backward movement of theentire frame. In order to avoid that, during the forward rocking theentire construction is moved backwardly by the backward component ofpower. The wheels on which the whole is mounted, and more particularlythe rear wheels g, are provided with ratchetinovements f, which onlyallow the translation of the rocking movement into a progressivemovement in one and the same direction. For this purpose the rear wheelsturn loosely on their axles, whereby pawls h engage with theratchet-teeth of their corresponding wheel and allow only a forwardmovement of the whole and preventing at the same time the ratchet-pawlsfrom sliding on the fixed teeth during the forward movement.

' In a modification of the above arrangement, Fig. 1, the seat issupported by a kind of leaf-spring 7a, which is secured on the lowerleaf-spring. The spring action, and therefore also the forwardprogressive power, is considerably greater with this modification ofconstruction.

In order to enable the device to be steered, the front axle is fixed onthe frame turnable on a pivot m and can be turned by means of reins orcords n n either to one side or the other, or it may be fixed on acertain radius by means of a guide or bandp and set-screw q or othersuit-able device. The shape, size, and fitting out of the seat a, which,as already stated above, can be an ordinary seat, an animal-figure,saddle, basket, open or closed vehicle-body, or small boat, &;c., aswell as the construction of the supporting-frame, are of course notlimited to any particular design and may be Varied. Likewise thelaminated springs may have other varieties of springs substitutedtherefor.

I claim- In a device of the character described, the combination with aframe (1, axles mounted in opposite ends of the frame, the forward axlebeing pivotally mounted in the frame, and wheels mounted on the axles,the wheels on the rear axle being loosely mounted thereon, of an archedspring secured at its ends to the axles, a figure supported upon thearched portion of the spring, ratchet-teeth carried by each of the saidloosely-mounted wheels, a pawl device carried at each end of the rearaxle and adapted to engage theteeth to prevent backward rotation of thesaid wheels but permit forward rotation of the same, a curved band psecured to the front axle and means adapted to fix the said band rigidlyto the frame d in different positions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KARL GEIER.

Witnesses:

WILHELM C. ZEROD, ALVESTO S. HOGUE.

